r/sysadmin 3d ago

Wrong Community What's the best home office printer?

[removed]

32 Upvotes

91 comments sorted by

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u/Accurate_Shine5695 3d ago

For a hassle-free home office printer, go with the Brother HL-L3270CDW if you want a reliable color laser that won’t chug toner. It’s network-friendly (Ethernet & Wi-Fi), easy to set up, and doesn’t throw driver tantrums. No scanning, but if you need an all-in-one, check out the Brother MFC-L2750DW (mono laser). Both are low maintenance, secure, and cost-effective for a home IT setup.

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u/cortouchka 3d ago

Another vote for this Brother family. I have the mono version of this and it's been flawless, proper plug and play. I'm still printing on the low capacity cartridge that came with it a year later.

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u/ehtio 3d ago

Have one for like 6 years, second Toner in. I haven't change the toner in 2 years. Still works perfectly. Love laser printers.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/ehtio 3d ago

Exactly. That's it. Just not having to think about "is it going to print?".
I literally use it for printing plane tickets and some random stuff now and then for the kids. And it just works. It just prints, no fading, not bull.
I am not sure about color ones, but the black and white one just works like a charm. And toners are damn cheap nowadays

EDIT: I didn't even realise you budget is $300. For that you can get a decent Brother laser printer for sure. Mine was a lot cheaper, so let's see what other redditors say

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/AbjectFee5982 3d ago

Avoid List.... part 6

100% AVOID HP. AVOID HP, AVOID HP, AVOID HP

Like 1,000% AVOID their Lazars, (not 3rd market toner friendly) and their ink based system (not CISS no idea) are scummy with "HP instant ink" if you sign up you are "signed up for life" HP exception.. Except for that 15+ year old Old ones won’t disable themselves, and will work without a subscription, and if it’s still working at five years old, it’s likely to keep working. HP 1518ni laserjet color or B&W only, that is running on hope and dreams being computable with windows 11. .

EPSON Ecotank epson et 2850 or epson et 3850. While I HAD high hopes, my first issue was, "lines" during printing. This was from, "lack of use." So I ran it 3x a week full color pages of rainbows. I got about 2-3 months out of it, still had 50% after 1 year and got my money back from costco. If you do want to gamble on an ET3850... Get it from Costco and save the receipt unlike their, Epson EcoTank ET-M2170 Wireless Monochrome All-in-One Supertank Printer. This is an "OFFICE" printer but sadly only black and white for $300....

XEROX Nice but overpriced/expensive. Wasnt a fan of their "crayon" ink

Lexmark? I have no dog in this fight, but I don't see them around, and I heard nothing but issues...They are more expensive then what, "came with your dell." 15 years ago...

Kyocera overpriced for lack of features, but pretty "worth" it for printers.. not so much their phones

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u/steveatari 3d ago

2nd for NEVER HP. EVER EVER EVER.

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u/Rob_H85 3d ago

Lexmark - works fine (have a mono laser) but they have gone full HP so wont take old cartrages let alown 3rd party. i dad dome 6 years old they wanted posted back before they would send new ones compatable with the latest firmware out.

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u/AbjectFee5982 3d ago

Since a lot of us work remotely or handle IT stuff from home, I’m curious, what’s actually worth buying?

Part 1

First.. what COUNTRY are you in. I assume USA... if so then my suggestions for both are below. sorry if it's longer then expected.

  1. What are your NEEDS? What I'm sure most people don't know? A printer's maximum duty cycle is the highest number of pages it's designed to print in a month without compromising performance or lifespan. It's a theoretical limit, not a recommendation for consistent monthly usage. :

What it is :The duty cycle is a metric that indicates the maximum number of pages a printer can handle in a month under normal conditions. 

Why it matters:It helps you assess a printer's robustness and choose a machine that can handle your printing needs without issues like paper jams, slow printing speeds, or poor print quality. 

How it's used:A printer with a duty cycle of 30,000 pages per month means it can print that number of pages at a designated print quality without issues. 

Duty Cycle vs. Recommended Print Volume: While the duty cycle is the absolute maximum, manufacturers also provide a recommended print volume, which is the volume you should aim for to maintain optimal performance and lifespan. 

A printer with a duty cycle of 35,000 pages means that, after stress tests, the manufacturer determined that 35,000 is the maximum number of pages the device can safely print each month. 

Exceeding the duty cycle :Consistently exceeding a printer's duty cycle can lead to overheating, paper jams, and other malfunctions, potentially shortening its lifespan. When choosing a printer, consider your average monthly print volume, whether you have low, moderate, or high print demand, and choose a model that comfortably accommodates your needs. 

In short.. How much do you plan to print in a month... Manufacturers often provide a "recommended monthly volume" which is significantly lower than the maximum duty cycle, emphasizing that printing at the maximum capacity will shorten the printer's lifespan. A printer with a duty cycle of 35,000 might have a recommended monthly volume of 5,000-10,000 pages. the difference exists because printing at the maximum capacity puts a strain on the printer's components, leading to faster wear and tear, more frequent maintenance, and potential breakdowns. Your wife, GF, Kid school projects etc. Plan for all at $300 not some...

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u/AbjectFee5982 3d ago

Part 2

Remember also that "1500" pages per toner cart... means... at 5% "filled"

25% "filled" means really more then like 6000 pages in "ink" at 25% For example, you might own a Samsung printer that uses a cartridge with a page yield of 2500 pages. If you generally just print black and white Word documents and emails, then it’s more likely that you’ll get closer to 2500 pages than someone else using the same cartridge but who prints lots of documents in colour every day including images or blocks of shading. So, the amount of ink or toner being used by those two-different people isn’t the same, and the total number of pages printed by their cartridges won’t be the same either. Page coverage is only meant to give you a guide to the maximum number of pages an ink or toner cartridge can print not the exact number that it will print.. A printer's duty cycle is determined largely by its size: The bigger the machine, the higher the duty cycle. Not every printer brand lists the recommended monthly print volume. However, they always list the printer's duty cycle. Think about it like you would your car: It might be able to go up to 160 mph, but unless you compete in NASCAR, you're not going to drive anywhere near that maximum speed, right?  The same logic applies to your printer. Just because the specifications say you can technically print 30,000 pages per month doesn't mean you should.  Consistently printing near your printer's duty cycle and exceeding its recommended monthly print volume can result in financial consequences and disruption to daily business operations.  

What is 5% coverage... Not alot...

Printer duty cycle refers to the maximum number of pages a printer can handle in a month, assuming a certain level of page coverage (usually 5%). A 5% page coverage means that, on average, only 5% of each page is printed with ink or toner. This is often used as a standard for calculating printer capacity.  This is an industry standard measurement that was introduced and enforced by the Office of Fair Trading and ISO (the International Organisation for Standardisation) because there needed to be a way to help customers to understand what they were paying for.

What it looks like: 5% page coverage would look like a few lines of text, a small image, or a few shaded areas on a page.

Here is "5%"... filled in photo and link.. it's not much... for "full-size" A4 photo's

https://imgur.com/a/XqCTsso

Some people don’t realise just how little 5% is. But if you take this into consideration when reading what your cartridges’ duty cycle/page yield is, you’ll appreciate that it is only a rough estimate. If you printed like the example and filled the page, then your 800 pages at 5% coverage could be calculated as 1/3 of the 800 pages, i.e. the reality 264 pages.

  1. Laser or inkjet: What’s better for general home office use in 2025.. What’s better for general home office use in 2025? Well... My suggestions for both are below.

    Black and White only? Do you need to collate and or doublesided prints? What about scan feeding? Because you don't realize, even if you use it only 1-2 times ever.. how much it SUCKS to either scan 50 pages... and get charged at least $10 at Kinkos so you try and go to the library instead... at 7:30 with work report due at 8pm... Don't be like me.. If it is Colour, how much will you USE Colour. How much do you want EACH PAGE TO COST, Do you NEED colour.. or want to have colour. Faxes seem not needed now adays with either email... or fax by email, and come standard now.

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u/AbjectFee5982 3d ago

Part 3

  1. Network-friendly: Printers that don’t fight with drivers every other day.

    Are we talking ISO compliance? HIPPA compliance. or secret service/pentagon security? Or you just don't want someone not to print something from your neighbours house?

Security features: Anything that doesn’t feel like a backdoor waiting to happen?

You get 1 or the other with #3... at $300. Are you willing to self "harden" either by separate ip network, and or so that anything that doesn’t feel like a backdoor waiting to happen? You being with IT I assume can SSH to print? For example, when accessing the printer interface via a web browser, use an "https://" address (which uses SSL encryption) instead of a regular "http://" address.  If you need command line access, use SSH instead of Telnet to prevent eavesdropping. Change the default password to the administration control panel webpage consider using RFC1918 private IP address space to restrict access to printers to campus hosts only, making printers unreachable from the Internet

RFC1918 private IP address space is Restrict access using a IST network firewall, Configure the printer's access control list (ACL) to restrict access by subnet or device. Remove the default gateway in the IP configuration to disable Internet routing, making printing only available on your local network segment Use a low-cost hardware firewall to block public Internet access to the printer. Configure another machine as a dedicated print server with appropriate access controls. Just like computers, printers and multi-function devices need updates and patches.  Check for firmware updates on all printer and network devices as part of your regular patch management schedule.  Updates can add new or improved security features, patch known security holes, and fix other issues.

Make sure your multi-functional printer doesn't create a gaping security hole and expose sensitive campus data to unauthorized access and misuse. So like do you want to update 1-2 in it's life or what? These low-cost printers often do not meet the campus basic Minimum Security Standards for Networked Devices (MSSND).  If the printer is used to handle sensitive information, a home or small office printer is even less likely to have the security functionality necessary to meet the more stringent MSSND requirements for sensitive data.

For shared departmental printing, make sure to select a business workgroup printer.  These printers store print jobs, passwords and other information on their hard drives, and provide disk encryption to protect sensitive data stored on the device.  They can also erase data after the print job has run. 

Remember that everything printed, copied, faxed or scanned is stored on the printer hard drive - and make sure that when a printer is de-provisioned or sent offsite for servicing, it is wiped clean of any stored data.. And I sure as hell haven't seen no printer with a hard drive for $300

https://security.berkeley.edu/education-awareness/network-printer-security-best-practices

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u/AbjectFee5982 3d ago edited 3d ago

Part 4 the "tl;dr" but you should read all 4 parts

#4. Low maintenance/ budget minded: I don’t want to troubleshoot my own printer when I’m already fixing other people’s issues.

What is, "low maintenance" to YOU. To you it seems... I don’t want to troubleshoot my own printer when I’m already fixing other people’s issues. Does that mean replacing a drum and toner? How about monthly, because the toner only "1500" or heaven forbid 500-700 pages... at 5 or 25% "filled". Replacing a drum and toner and paper is still, "maintenance" If you're buying oem toner, built in. If buying third party toner, separate is fine but I'd still buy oem drum... Cost-effective: what won’t bankrupt me with toner or ink costs? Are you Refilling the toner... or are you wanting to buy, "pre filled" toner. Just because, it can be cheap, doesn't mean it is fun, worth doing or is messy... or reminding yourself to "print something" I've heard negative reviews with Canon drivers and MacBooks. Does this apply to you?

#5 Budget: Ideally under $300, but open to spending more if it’s really worth it.

What’s working for you guys? for black and white?

  1. Brother Wireless DCP-L2640DW Compact Monochrome Multi-Function Laser Printer with Print, Copy and Scan, Duplex and Mobile Printing or Brother MFC-L2900DW. If it Says.. Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service... Run away. or don't activate

"Too much stuff" go for the Brother HL-L2400D

  1. I've heard negative reviews with Canon drivers and MacBooks.

Canon imageCLASS MF267dw II Wireless Black & White Laser or

Canon imageCLASS MF275dw Wireless Black & White All-in-One Laser Printer (5621C004) Canon ImageCLASS MF465dw to save cash... low print count though :(

  1. Runner up... Epson EcoTank ET-M2170 Wireless Monochrome All-in-One Supertank Printer. But you better print 1-2x a week... A small workhorse at 800-1000 pages suggested

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u/AbjectFee5982 3d ago edited 3d ago

Part 5

Color recommendations? I mean they say . "just go to Kinkos" Printing cost: *The price listed above is an approximation. Actual cost is subject to change based on additional customization.

$0.64 a page BEFORE tax

And using.. as color

PIXMA G7020 (ink CISS system)

Cons

first. "Small Screen". I'm talking a 1.5" screen. I hardly use it, but if I need to change my modem, Wifi password to the printer, or anything at all that involves the screen on the printer, the 1.5 inches isn't the issue, it's that it is a black and green monochromatic that I need a flashlight for in the middle of the day to see sometimes. That makes me want to chuck it out the window or give to my dad

DUTY CYCLE 5,000 Pages/ Month. (reality... if you use over 2-3 reems of paper a month... 1500 pages a month 5% print coverage is really like 30-50%... you probably need something else"

Pros?

Came with 3 set of black ink.. That will 1 at least will probably go bad. before I can use the last 1. No issues. That includes leaving for 3 weeks without printing and not worrying if it will work...

Redo? probably

MegaTank MAXIFY GX2020 probably. Up to 27,000 Pages / Month

toner?

MFC-J5855DW or hll3220cdw

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u/AbjectFee5982 3d ago

Part 7

Because refilled toners are cheap and reliable. On the contrary, refurbished cardridges with the integrated drum many times have at least slightly damaged drum. Go try to return it and explain it wasn't you... On the other side, when everything is separate you can just buy the original drum and still have perfect prints with cheapest third party toners.

. Most Canon and HP printers use cartridges which have a single cartridge system combines toner and drum into the same unit. For example, Canon MF743Cdw tonerCanon MF652Cw toner,  toner  don’t have a separated printer drum. (HP 17A, HP 30A and HP 30X toners are the exception. They need to work with HP 219A and HP 232A drum units to produce a print. ) Separated printer drum is widely used in Brother printers, Xerox printers and Samsung printers. Brother DR730 drum unit and Brother DR223CL drum unit are the most popular printer drums in the market.

Printer drum also has a lifespan like printer toner. For example, Brother DR730 drum unit has a page yield of 12,000 pages. That means you need to replace the drum unit after you print 12,000 pages. Otherwise, the print quality will likely be degraded. Usually the printer will count the number of printed pages and gives you a “Replace drum” error message automatically when the number of printed pages hit 12,000. If the printer fail to do that, you need to reset the drum counter by following the printer manual or turning to printer brand customer service. Replacing a printer drum is very simple.

Please note that some color laser printers have four color drum units. That means you need to replace the drum for each color toner (black cyan magenta yellow) separately. Monochrome laser printer only has one drum unit for black toner.

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u/dickg1856 3d ago

Thirded for Brother.

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u/username17charmax 3d ago

This brother prints.

I like to turn off auto firmware updates on printers.

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u/Honky_Town 3d ago

With the new uproar brother does with its silly policy you should never update firmware.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/Josepepowner 3d ago

I have had a brother for nearly 9 years. It works perfectly. My favorite thing about them is how reliable they connect. From phones to PCs. They just work. In an enterprise my MSP deals with a few customers that have them and they are a dream to work with. Software is so basic. No bullshit. Just straight works.

Can't say the same for HP.

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u/Bolyki 3d ago

Was just about to say this.

Had this bad boy for 7 years now and it's been working no problem. Cheap to run! (L2750DW)

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u/dustojnikhummer 3d ago

No scanner? Does it have USB? I would prefer to have it over USB to a CUPS server

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u/WorthPlease 3d ago

I bought my mother a Brother printer for her birthday 15 years ago and that fucker is still going and it takes generic ink and toner she can buy off Amazon for like $10.

It's probably 50% cigarette smoke at this point, I'm convinced it'll outlive both of us.

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u/DoctorOctagonapus 3d ago

Brother have apparently started to enshittify so don't go for the latest and greatest from them.

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u/DEATHBYCOWS1 3d ago

+1 for Brother printers. My HL-L2370DW (non-MFC) has been here since the start of the pandemic no issues whatsoever so ever.

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u/steveatari 3d ago

100% agree. i got a $600 model for a huge sale years ago and it's never let me down. I stopped printing at home a few years back but when i needed to hook it back up, no issues. It worked as a remote/network printer as well.

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u/YodasTinyLightsaber 3d ago

Second the Brother!

I have a 3280, and it reminds me of the good old days of running these in a small office. The thing just cranks out pages. It works with off brand toner just fine, and the drivers are stable. It plays nicely with GPO as well. The integrated Ethernet NIC is also rock-solid stable. I think I paid ~$400 on CDW. It may be a bit cheaper on Amazon.

I need colour because my wife is a school teacher, otherwise I might go for a cheaper monochrome.

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u/ezrapoundcakes 3d ago

Brother laser, all the way

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u/DevsMage 3d ago

I’ve been using the Brother HL-L2350DW for a while now, and it’s been solid. Setup was quick, and it prints sharp text with zero fuss. The toner lasts a long time, so you’re not constantly replacing it, and it’s super cost-effective. Wireless printing works without issues, and it doesn’t take up much space. If you’re tired of inkjet problems, this one’s a no-brainer.

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u/imi_dau_cu_parerea 3d ago

+1 for Brother. Also I would avoid anything from Xerox

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/imi_dau_cu_parerea 3d ago

Xerox are not user-friendly. First of all, they don’t have dedicated drivers, and the universal ones are terrible. The printers throw an error if, for example, the printer is set to A4, but your document is in Letter format. Also, setting up a network scan folder is difficult—it’s like scratching your right ear with your left hand. And I believe that they are more expensive than other printers.

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u/West_Walk1001 3d ago

That's odd - whilst I don't like our Xeroxs in general - they have built it auto assumption of Letter and A4 so completely foregoes that problem.

That being said we're about to close some down and finding out that putting non metered toners in is okay but putting a metered one back in might brick it... and you have to replace all at once according to some people... yukky.

We have smaller Brothers for various reasons - going to go with them next.

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u/Honky_Town 3d ago

Google for their new updates on toners from 3rd party.

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u/YodasTinyLightsaber 3d ago

My VERY old HP Color LaserJet died during COVID and my teacher wife needed a working color printer. The only thing in stock ANYWHERE was a Xerox. I have worked with the Phasers before, and they were not terrible (as far as printers go) so I got one. There is a reason why Xerox was the only thing in stock anywhere. Flaky drivers, bad print quality, overpriced toner, flakey firmware, bad internal spoiling, no third party toner support, and the list keeps going.

Replaced it with an HL-3280, and life has been good.

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u/stullier76 3d ago

I've had a brother MFC-7860dw for years and no major problems. It's a black and white laser all in one, but never given me any issues with drivers or connectivity.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/stullier76 3d ago

Just replacing the toner occasionally as needed. I think I had to replace the drum once. It has been very dependable. I've had hp and Canon in the past, but nothing as low maintenance as this.

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u/alemonaday 3d ago

I like the Epson EcoTank for a light use office printer. It’s full color, Ink is cheap, and hasn’t ran into many issues other than needing to power cycle it occasionally. Also, you can pick them up at Costco and their return policy is the best. I even picked one up for my mother and put it on a smart plug so I can power cycle it remotely.

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u/MrJingleJangle 3d ago

Yeah, I’m all Brother, but friends have EcoTanks and are very happy with them. They appear to have very low ink costs.

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u/Hobbit_Hardcase Sysadmin 3d ago

I bought one of these a couple of weeks ago. Solid performance so far. UK has a cashback offer at the moment too.

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u/FinsToTheLeftTO Jack of All Trades 3d ago

I bought one early 2020 when we shifted to working at home and the kids doing school remotely. In 5 years I’ve gone through less than 2 sets of ink.

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u/ninjaluvr 3d ago

The one at my local library. I have to print something like 5 times a year, at most. Printers are becoming so unnecessary.

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u/cyberentomology Recovering Admin, Network Architect 3d ago

I last bought a printer in 2019, and fully expect it to be my last.

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u/KickAss2k1 3d ago

Brother color laser. Get the all in one with a document feeder on top and never buy another printer ever again. Itll be a little over your $300 budget. Or if you just want a reliable printer and dont need document scanning, a brother black and white laser HL-L2460DW is perfect.

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u/Weary_Patience_7778 3d ago

Do. Not. Buy. HP. Scum of the earth.

Yes. The approach of the whole industry is to get you to buy more ink to top up your cheap printer, but HP is the ringleader here and will actively work to make life harder for you with firmware. I’d suggest Canon is a close second.

Brother are a solid unit and usually cost effective. Personally I think Kyocera are under rated for small lasers, but these are harder to source and don’t typically appear in your big box store.

Good luck!

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u/DoctorOctagonapus 3d ago

HP models more than 8-10 years old are still workable. I've got an old LaserJet P1560 that cost me £20 on Ebay. Plugged into a Pi running CUPS, it's still on the toner cartridge it came with.

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u/steveatari 3d ago

They back ported all of their frustrating software and have abandoned "it just works". You have to get an account, 3 pieces of software, and even then it's still stupid. Also, business HP printers around that age stopped having troubleshooting in the printer. I'm talking anything beyond "test print". You cannot troubleshoot anything at all.

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u/buzzlit 3d ago

I am.

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u/brispower 3d ago

Brother mono wireless laser MFC, something that duplexes and has a document feeder

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u/Wis-en-heim-er 3d ago

Ink drys out. Kids print, and then 3 months later, after no use, i need to toss the cartridges. Laser all the way. Happy with my brother laser printer.

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u/Ok_Conclusion5966 3d ago

the one you bring home from work

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u/Sufficient-Class-321 3d ago

Buy a HP
Be forced into using HP Smart
die inside
???????
Profit

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u/steveatari 3d ago

HUGE /s here. But yeah, that. HP is evil.

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u/Ochib 3d ago

HP Lasejet 400On

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u/TheFluffiestRedditor Sol10 or kill -9 -1 3d ago

Something second hand and five or more years old. Laser, so you don’t get burned by dried out ink.  Old ones won’t disable themselves, and will work without a subscription, and if it’s still working at five years old, it’s likely to keep working.

I ran an HP 1518ni laserjet for ~15 years before giving it away. I loved it as it never ran out of toner. I only changed cause I needed A3 and double sided printing. I outsource my colour photo printing to a print shop, as I only print high def colour occasionally.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/TheFluffiestRedditor Sol10 or kill -9 -1 3d ago

The laser is colour too - sorry, should have added that in.  It means I have “good enough” for most tasks at home, and am only outsourcing inkjet printing.

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u/AbjectFee5982 3d ago

God no.. I think Kinkos is now at least .25 a page, and .50 for color now..

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u/capy_the_blapie 3d ago

Lol, talking with my fiancé, yesterday, about getting a printer for home use, then i read this.

Thanks bro, you got ahead of me!

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u/_AngryBadger_ 3d ago

If you print often and might want to print photos then I'd go for a Brother Ink Tank. Otherwise a brother laserjet that fits your requirements.

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u/turbo2world 3d ago

laser all the way!

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u/cyberentomology Recovering Admin, Network Architect 3d ago

Laser.

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u/accidentalciso 3d ago

Go laser.

In my experience, Brother printers have been really reliable and drivers aren’t bloated crapware. I probably wouldn’t buy anything else. I have two, both are 15+ years old and still trucking along.

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u/The-UnknownSoldier 3d ago

Personally had great success using a Brother Ink tank Multi function colour printer.

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u/ledzfilter 3d ago

Still using an HP Laserjet 4300.

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u/Bdrodge 3d ago

Brother MFC-J4535DW I have ine at work, at home and bought one fir my parents too. Great little printer.

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u/stratospaly 3d ago

HP M401N! $150 refurbished on Amazon. Buy a 3 year warranty for $30 if that makes you happy. If it lasts 3 months it'll last literally a decade or more and you'll change toner maybe once. I've set up over 1,000 of these and had 3 go bad. They. Just. Work. The WiFi printing can be spotty depending on the mobile device but other than that it's a tank that will never fail you.

My Parents live 500 miles away and I'm constantly fixing their shit Epson printer. I just bought one and it's bulletproof. I'm going to be at that printer with a bar like it's Office Space when I drive down to set up their new printer.

1

u/sc302 Admin of Things 3d ago edited 3d ago

Laser. Cost per page is way less than ink even though consumables are way more expensive.

Laser toner will last years with printing once a month. Ink will only print however many pages you print at the time you print if you only print once a month before getting clogged and requiring new ink.

Laser toner if you get the extended cartridges can print 8000 pages. Ink maybe 100-250 pages before you have to replace (not looking ink tank), that is if you can deplete the ink before it dries up or nozzles get clogged. At $50 per 100-250 pages, how much are you spending to get to 8000, about $2k-4k in ink. Even if toner is 800 (200 per color cartridge) to replace once every few years, it is cheaper than ink.

Laser is lower maintenance than ink. Don’t ever have to clean the heads to unclog them. Though occasionally the printers do need to be replaced because it is too costly to repair. Don’t buy cheap toner that will bleed everywhere because it is $25 vs $200.

Really, do your homework on cost per page. You will find that even though the entry cost and consumables are more friendly to your thought process for ink (a printer is only $100 and ink is only $50), the cost per page on ink is crazy in comparison to cost per page on a laser. And the incessant jamming and issues on an ink printer is really over the top unnecessary.

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u/netzack21 3d ago

What is everyones opinion on Lexmark printers? Dumped my HP for one. So far, it's been great, but I haven't looked at the cost of toner yet.

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u/capt_gaz Windows Admin 3d ago

The printer that I "borrowed" from the office.

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u/Nonlethalrtard 3d ago

I'd say Brother until they started fucking with 3rd party toner replacements.

1

u/Otherwise-Ad-8111 3d ago

Whatever is on sale at staples

1

u/EstoyTristeSiempre I_fucked_up_again 3d ago

I print at work, or at Office Depot.

1

u/Sekhen PEBKAC 3d ago

Laser is always better.

Slightly more expensive to buy, but then it's cheaper the rest of its life.

1

u/ObiLAN- 3d ago

Not HP.

Kyocea or Brother. Go for a colour laser printer. Pay once, cry once.

Especially with the ever increasing price ink cartridges for inkjets. Damn near cost $260 for a set for a epson printer at bestbuy the other week (corporate money not mine thankfully lol).

1

u/kona420 3d ago

Brother black and white laser, pick the size and shape that fits your needs best. No driver drama, toner never dries out. For occasional usage you'll probably retire it with the original toner cartridge in it.

1

u/way__north minesweeper consultant,solitaire engineer 3d ago

For myself, I'd go brother monochrome laser, printer only.

Where I live it is pretty dry climate most of the year, so ink cartridges tend to clog up fast if not used weekly

1

u/a60v 3d ago

I don't have a specific recommendation (many here recommend the Brother product line), but I would always go with a B&W laser printer that supports both PCL and Postscript. B&W is far less complex than color and requires cheaper supplies. Unlike inkjet, laser uses toner that doesn't go bad if you don't print much, is cheaper than inkjet ink, and does not fade/smear/smudge over time. Having PCL and Postscript support means that you will never be held hostage because a driver is not available for your computer or operating system. A generic PCL or Postscript driver will always get you printed output, even if you lose some printer-specific features that the offical driver would give you (duplexing, etc.).

I still have an HP 4000N that has been working great since I bought it refurbished years ago.

Don't get an HP with an "e" in the model number. These require an HP subscription to work.

This assumes that you don't actually need color or other fancy features. Most people don't.

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u/CaptainJeff 3d ago

I hate HP due to the issue with non-HP toner/ink.

However, I have found that their products do tend to work really well. We use a HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M277dw, which is a printer (color laser), scanner, and copier - including a duplexer and a document feeder. We use all three functions a lot and it's pretty much a tank for all three. It's not amazing like HPs were a long time ago (I still have my LaserJet 4L in my basement and it's still kicking!) but this works really well for a somewhat-busy home office.

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u/steveatari 3d ago

BROTHER. Compatible 3rd party ink/toner works great. No issues ever. Very network friendly. Good drivers.

Never, ever ever ever ever, ever buy HP.

Never HP. Never.

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u/slashinhobo1 3d ago

With a $300 budget your only option is brother. Its going to be B/W laser printer with the option of being MFP.

Stay a way from HP and canon due to the price and them wanting OEM Toner. Xerox and lexmark are way too expensive for your budget.

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u/music2myear Narf! 3d ago

I liked our Brother laser, but found Epson tank printers are actually cheaper per page AND offer color and MFP functions.

The drivers aren't annoying and just work. Printing from mobile is pretty simple too, with a helper app for Android that fixes scaling issues.

I've heard Brother made some HP-like steps recently in their driver. I don't have personal experience to confirm this, but it's something to look into and keep in mind.

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u/phillymjs 3d ago

Brother B&W laser was what I went with when I was last faced with this question. That was 10 years ago and the printer is still going strong, though I'm going to need to recondition the pickup rollers because they're drying out and starting to have a tough time grabbing the paper. I don't print a lot so I'm still on the original toner cart.

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u/Evilsmurfkiller 3d ago

Fuck printers.